Femnet e.V.

News about Our Work -

02 January 2023 Finally: German cabinet decides to ratify ILO Convention 190 on the Elimination of Harassment and Violence in the Workplace

On 21 December 2022, the Federal Cabinet decided to ratify ILO Convention 190 on the Elimination of Harassment and Violence in the Workplace. This is an act long demanded by FEMNET and great progress for social human rights!

FEMNET, together with the campaign for clean clothing, trade unions, the Alliance for Sustainable Textiles and partner organisations in India and Bangladesh, has repeatedly campaigned in recent years to ensure that the ILO Convention is also ratified by the Federal Government.

On 21 June 2019, the Convention was adopted by the ILO after years of negotiations. The Convention is based on an inclusive and gender-based approach. Gender stereotypes, various forms of discrimination and gender-based power relations are to be combated in order to end violence and harassment in the world of work. The Convention clarifies that everyone has the right to a world of work free from violence and harassment. It also clarifies that this is about human rights and that violence and harassment are incompatible with decent work.

The numbers show how important it is to act in this field: More than one in five people experience violence and harassment in the workplace over the course of their working lives, such as the current ILO data on violence and harassment in the workplace show. The ILO Convention 190 and Recommendation 206 are the first international conventions to establish clear guidelines for the world of work in the fight against violence and harassment in the workplace. This is a big step forward!

With the start of the ratification process, Germany is sending an important signal for good working conditions and gender equality worldwide and creating a clear framework for action to end discrimination and violence in the workplace. This is also an important sign for our partners and the manufacturing countries in the supply chains to tackle gender-based violence in the world of work. Because a nonviolent life and a harassment-free workplace are not privileges - they are human rights.